The work by Denny F. E., J. Arg. Res., 27, 757-759 (1924) is perhaps one of the first where the effect of ethylene on the preservation of fruit and plants was shown; the author specifically describes a method for yellowing green lemons using ethylene. Later on, a series of studies were published based on that work, such as the one by Harvey R. B., Univ. of Minn. Agr. Expt. Sta. Rs. Bul. 147 (1928) on the industrial applications of ethylene in ripening tomatoes, pears, apples, pineapples, bananas, etc. At the present time, these methods constitute a commercial practice in general use. A recent review of this property of ethylene may be found in the article "Effects of Ethylene on the Quality of Fruits and Vegetables" by Alley E. Watade in "Food Technology" pp. 82-85, May 1986.
However, quite often it is undesirable to accelerate the ripening process in the harvested product, but on the contrary, and such being the case of the invention, it is of interest to reduce the rate of said process, to bring the availability of the product into line with market demand, which constitutes one of the aims of the present invention.